Bupa has partnered with Health Care Without Harm to launch a major global report that outlines key principles for reducing healthcare’s reliance on single-use items while maintaining the highest level of patient care.
Furthermore, the report urges the health sector to take ‘bold, collaborative action’ to address the challenges of tackling healthcare waste.
Says co-chair of DEA’s Sustainable Healthcare Special Interest Group, Professor Eugenie Kayak, in a breakout section in the report:
“Integral to the healthcare sector cutting both SUIs and carbon emissions is a rapid transition to renewable energy sources, as the carbon intensity of electricity impacts carbon footprint comparisons between reusable and single-use devices. For example, cleaning and sterilising reusable equipment with energy predominantly sourced from brown coal (lignite) can lead to the carbon footprint of the reusable equipment being greater than the comparable disposable item. Therefore, as health professionals our responsibility includes the judicious use of resources (including medical equipment and devices), a move away from single-use where clinically acceptable, and advocating for an urgent transition to renewable energy.”